1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an air controlling system of an air conditioner for a vehicle which controls conditioned-air with the temperature controlled in an air-conditioning case to be supplied to each demand part in a vehicle, and more particularly, to an air controlling system of an air conditioner for a vehicle which is equipped with a rear console duct and can discharge conditioned-air to not only the front seats, but the rear seats in a vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, air conditioners for vehicles include a cooling system that cools the interior of vehicles and a heating system that heats the interior of the vehicles. The cooling system is configured such that refrigerant supplied by operating a compressor cools the interior of a vehicle by exchanging heat with an evaporator and the recirculation/fresh air around while circulating through a condenser, a receiver driver, an expansion valve, and the evaporator and then returning to the compressor. The heating system is configured to heats the interior of a vehicle by making the coolant for the engine flow into a heater core to exchange heat with the recirculation/fresh air around, or by making the coolant for the engine exchange heat with the surrounding air, using an electric heater.
Meanwhile, an air conditioner equipped with a rear console duct discharging conditioned-air even to the rear seats to improve comfort of the passengers in the rear seats has been regularly used in recent years. In this case, a rear console vent into which the conditioned-air discharged toward the upper halves of the passengers in the rear seats flows is formed at the air-conditioning case of the air conditioner and the rear console vent is connected with the rear console duct and can supply the conditioned-air even to the rear seats.
FIGS. 1 and 2 are views showing the configuration of an air conditioner equipped with a rear console vent for a vehicle of the related art, in which FIG. 1 shows a face mode and FIG. 2 shows a foot mode.
As shown in the figures, an evaporator 1 and a heater core 2 are sequentially disposed in an air-conditioning case 10. The evaporator 1 functions to cool inflow air and the heater core 2 is disposed behind the evaporator 1 and functions to heat the air that has passed through the evaporator 1. The cold air that has passed through the evaporator 1 or the warm air that has passed through the heater core 2 is controlled to appropriate temperature by switching of a temp door 3 and the conditioned-air with the temperature controlled, as described above, is discharged to the interior of a vehicle.
The air-conditioning case 10 is equipped with a face vent 11, a defrost vent 12, a front foot vent 13, a rear foot vent 13′, and a rear console vent 14 to supply the conditioned-air with the temperature controlled, as described above, to each demand part in the vehicle. The vents 11, 12, 13, 13′, and 14 in this configuration supplies the conditioned-air to the demand parts while being controlled to be opened/closed by corresponding doors 20, 25, and 30. That is, the face vent 11 and the rear console vent 14 are controlled to be opened/closed by a vent door 20, the defrost vent 12 is controlled to be opened/closed by a defrost door 25, and the foot vent 13, 13′ is controlled to be opened/closed by a foot door 30.
In more detail, as shown in FIG. 1, in a face mode, the vent door 20 is switched to open the face vent 11 and the foot door 30 is switched to close the foot vent 13, 13′. Accordingly, the conditioned-air with the temperature controlled is discharged toward the upper halves of the driver and the passenger in the front seats through the face vent 11 in the vehicle.
In the structure of the air-conditioning case 10 described above, the face vent 11 and the rear console vent 14 interact with each other by a interacting passage 15. Therefore, in the face mode, some of the conditioned-air flowing inside through the vent door 20 that is open flows into the rear console vent 14 through the interacting passage 15 and is then discharged so toward the upper halves of the passengers in the rear seats of the vehicle.
On the other hand, in the foot mode, as shown in FIG. 2, the vent door 20 is switched to close the face vent 11 and the foot door 30 is switched to open the foot vent 13, 13′. Accordingly, the conditioned-air with the temperature controlled is discharged toward the lower halves of the driver and the passenger in the front seats and the lower halves of the passengers in the rear seats through the foot vent 13, 13′ in the vehicle.
Further, though not shown, in a bi-level mode, the vent door 20 and the foot door 30 are switched such that the face vent 11 and the foot vent 13, 13′ are partially opened. Therefore, the conditioned-air is discharged toward the upper halves and the lower halves of the driver and the passenger in the front seats and the lower halves of the passengers in the rear seats through the face vent 11 and the foot vent 13, 13′ that are partially opened, in the vehicle. Further, some of the conditioned-air flowing into the face vent 11 through the vent door 20 that is partially open flows into the rear console vent 14 through the communicating passage 15 and is then discharged toward the upper halves of the passengers in the rear seats in the vehicle.
In the air conditioner described above, however, since the face vent 11 and the foot vent 13, 13′ are blocked by a separation wall 16, the air flowing inside through the foot vent 13, 13′ cannot flow into the face vent 11, in the foot mode. Therefore, the conditioned-air cannot also flow into the rear console vent 14 that interact with the face vent 11, such that the conditioned-air cannot be discharged through the rear console vent 14.
In particular, when a cooling mode is selected in summer or a heating mode is selected in winter, since warm air or cold air cannot be supplied through the rear console vent 14 in the foot mode, there is a problem in that cooling efficiency in summer or heating efficiency in winter are generally decreased.